Electric elevator



H. F. HOWELL.

memo ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 8, I920. 1,373,132,- Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

2 SHEETS$HEET 1.

SUPERVIsOR'S STATION awvewlioz I'If' HOWELL.

h. F. HOWELL.

ELECTRIC ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 8, x920v Eat-9mm Mar. 29, B21.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

HIE HUK/VELL.

NORRIS PETERS. rm: LITHQ. WASHINGTON D C.

To all whom it may concern:

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY 1'1. HOWELL, OF CLEVELAND, OH IO.

'itrinc'rnro ELEVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

7 Application filed April 5, 1920. Serial No. 372,113.

Be it known that I, HARRY F. HownLL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in. the county of Guyanoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Eleraters, of fication.

in x

the use of safety appliances which are in stalled'to meet laws and ordinances governing and regulating the operation of such elevators." That is to say, these appliances are designed to slacken the speed and to stop the elevator automatically as it reaches t is extreme bottom or top of the shaft, and if the car passes a given distance beyond the top and bottom landings the electric current automatically switched 01f to prevent the car from proceeding farther in that direction; This leaves the car without electric current or power, and it is stalled in the shaft with its passengers. i

Assuming that this has occurred at one end of the shaft, the operator within the car is unable to r store or switch on electricw current to operate the witl out outside assistance, particularly as the electric current required to) operate the car is cut at its source by a magnetic switch on the control board which is usually located at very remote and distant point. Generally this control board is at the top of the elevator shaft and in order to place the in service it is necessary for someone outside of the car to visit the control board and operate the" magnetic switch manually to reestablish the electric working circuit-and then the operator in the car must be notified. where many elevators are used, to have this malfunction in operations occur many times in a day, because the operators become careless or through inexperience permit the car to pass beyond its normal working limits, and the cars are placed out of commission for such periods of time as it takes to visit the control board and to reestablish the perience of the operator and because of It is not an uncommon experience,

electric circuit. In the event of fire or a panic there is increasing danger of cars becoming overloaded and the operator becoming excited" and the cars becoming stalled at the bottom or top of the shaft beyond the landings, and under those conditions the passengers would be trapped and entirely dependent upon outside aid to release them by reestablish ng the broken circuit at the control board at the top of the shaft or in the top floor or super-structure where this device and other operating apparatus isusually operated.

lVith the present invention, whenever the car becomes stalled and the magnetic switch deenergized a signal light is illuminated at a central or given station. An authorized person or supervisor at this station may then instantly close the distant magnetic switch and hold it in that position to provide a 'working circuit and power for the car until the operator in the car has shifted the car back to ts normal place of operations. .The working circuit established by the. supervisor is a tempory one and in creating it a signal light is illuminated in the car, or within the range of vision of the operator, to "apprise him that he may, without delay, move the car back its normal place of operations. l Vhen the car moves back to place the signal light at the station is extinguished automatically. and the supervisor is thereby notified that proper working conditions have been reestablished. He then cuts off the tempo rary working circuit and the system is in its regular order to permit a repetition of such operations if the need arises.

In the drawings accompanying this application, Figure 1 is a diagram of a comple electrical operating system foran elect; a elevator, including my improvement, and showing the position of the parts under normal working conditions. Figs. 2 and 3 similar views, but contractor to my imis necessary for a clearer understanding of my improvement. Thus, the system comprisesan electric motor A for raising and lowering the elevatoror car B at varying speeds. Starting and stopping and the speed in the hands is regulated by a controller of an operator within the car. 'Motor A and the cable winding mechanism {(not shown) together with theswitch board havinga set of magnetic switches D,E, F and G, are located as a rule in a pent-house on the roof of the building'abovethe elevator V 1 shafts, andseparate sets of pivoted switches H, land J are placed within the upper and 'lower'jends of each shaft where each switch will be engaged successively by the car and thro'w iopen to cut ofith'e electric current,

at switch E'or F depending upon whether the car is going up or coming down, and} th rdly,..at the main magnetic switch I) which controls'thecurrent at the-leads or source of supply. The'safety orfbreake'r I switches J in the shaft are not opened eX-' cept when the car passes a given distance beyond the landing, and'failure of the car to stop at the landing may be caused by an overloaded car, or the operator may be at fault; 'VVhen this mishap occurs, as, shown in Fig. 2, the breaker switch J at the bottom of the shaft; is opened and the main magnetic switch D deenergiz'ed and the electric; current cut off over circuit '2 which connects all these parts together, including a knife switch K and controllerC-in thecar. Under these conditions the car isstalled below the a landing in the well or'botto'in of the shaft and the operator is unable to reestablish an operatingcircuit or to move the car upward without aid from someone outside the car,

However, with my improvement therinishap maybe instantly apprehended and gerrected at a distant point, preferablyfa cen .tral station where a supervisor or attendant may keep check on all theelevators in the building and restore working conditions,

without leaving his post, To that" end I provide an auxiliary switch L in the shaft which is engaged and closed by a shoe on the car at the same time thatbreaker switch J is engaged and opened, therebyclosing an electric lighting circuit 3 having an electric lamp 4 located at the supervisors st This, lamp remainsi illuminated as long as the car is stalled, but the SIIPQIVISOI is on-' abled to instantly correct thisiciondition by closing a switch 5 at this station, providing a 'lock switch 6 in series'with' switch 5 is" also closed. Thesetwo'switclies are in cir cuits 7 and 2 which begins and ends at the supply leads andfincludes the coil 8 ot'ithe main magnetic switch D, aspeed. governor switch 9, and the knife switch K which connects with'controller C ingthe car. Conse quently, when the switcheso and 6 are" by the superv sor the ina netic switch closed is energized and the main operating circuits 2 of the system restoredto'use,.and the operator' in the'car may then raise the car'iirorn' its stalled positions To 7 avoid delaysland accidents 1 also extend circuit 7 to the car or a place oppositethe car and connect a lamp l0 iii-series with the-switches and other appliancesin'that circuit, whereby when the supervisor'jcloses switches 5 and '6 to ener gize and'close the main ina'gnetiojswitchi D- he will at the same time cause lamp lO-gto be illuminated as a signal to thejoperator in the carthat'theelectric power is again on and that the controller C be manipir lated toeraise the" carout 0t its stalled position. When the operator responds to this signal and the car moves far; enoughtodisengage switch L n the shaft the lamp 4: at

the supervisors station 'is extinguished and at about the same'instajnt the-breaker switch? J is also released or disengaged'by'the car and as it closesjunder gravityorspring control the main or original working circuit 2 is reestablished so that the-car may'beop erated as under'iiormal working conditions. 7 Consequently, when lamp l is ext nguished thesupervisor is inade awareof the restora-.

tion ofthe car to its normal working place inthe shaft and he thereupon opens switch 5, or both switches 5 and 6, which act breaks; V

circuit 7, extinguislies lamp 10in the car,

but does not deenje'rgize coil 8 oi the main magnetic switch D for the reason that this coil has in theinteri n been placed in conn'e xtionrwith the source'eiisupplyof electric current through the closing of breaker switch J.

Thesupervisorls switch 5 is preferably 7 one of a self openiiigtype which is adapted torequire the constant attention of the supervisor to hold it in closed position and so, that when it is released it w ll automatr cally open circuit 7. Switch 6-, on the other J 'hand,' is of the lock-type requiring a key to place it in an open or closedposition, where-1 by when said switch '6 is open it will not" 'When avail any one to operate switch 5. the SUPQIVISOI is at his position switch 6 may be locked in a closed position, but if absent he may open switch'6 and no-one without i.

the proper key will be able to make effective apprehended in the 'act o'tstalling a car; 'In

bekept on'the' use of thecarsjto avoid de-' lays and accidents. It isfals'o: desirable to preventthe operations'ofthe cars by u'n "115," useof sfwitchh and-avoid beingchecked and authorized. persons at night and duringsuch periods of time asithe r'egular, operators are a not at their station, and to that end also provide a lock switch 12 at the supervisors station which is connected in series with switch and establishes the main working 1 circuits for the motor and other electric apparatus used in operating the car.

What I claim is:

1. In an electrical elevator, a main elec tric circuit and means therein adapted to automatically cut oil the power current for the elevator when the elevator approaches one end of the elevator shaft, and an additional electric circuit having means therein adapted to efiect a temporary restoration of flow of current over said main circuit until a retrograde movement of the elevator has been obtained.

2. In an electrical elevator, an electric operating circuit for the elevator, means adapted to render said circuit inoperative during movement of the elevator in a given direction, means adapted to signal the inoperative condition of the elevator and circuit, and an electric circuit having means therein adapted to reestablish momentary operative conditions over said first clrcult.

3. In an electrical elevator, an electric operating circuit for the elevator, means adapted-to render said circuit inoperative during movement of the elevator in a given direction, means adapted to signal the inoperative condition of the elevator and cirsaid magnet switch upon a movement of the elevator beyond predetermined bounds, and a supervisors electric circuit and switch adapted to supply current to said magnetic switch while the elevators are beyond bounds and without power to return.

5. In an electrical elevator, a power circuit for the elevator, an automatic device operably dependent upon the movement of the elevator adapted to open said power circuit, and means adapted to close said power circuit when opened by said device, comprising a manually-operated switch and a lock switch connected in series.

6. in an electrical elevator, a power circuit for the elevator, a safety switch in said circuit adapted to be opened automatically by the movement 1- the elevator, a signaling circuit having a selfopening switch adapted to be closed by the movement of the elevator, a switch and electric circuit adapted to eiiect a temporary closing of the power circuit from a fixedstation, and signaling means in said last circuit adapted to apprise the operator in the elevator when the power circuit has been reestablished.

.7. In an electrical elevator, a main elec tric circuit having a safety switch adapted to be opened by the movement of the elevator, and a separate electric circuit having a momentary switch and a lock switch adapted to close the main electric circuit during the interim the safety switch is oepn.

8. In an electrical elevator, a main elecric circuit having a safety switch adapted o be operated by the movement of the ele vator, a lock switch for said circuit placed at a station, and a supplemental electric circuit having a momentary switch at said station adapted to close said main electric circuit while the safety switch is open.

9. In an electrical elevator, a main electric circuit having a magnetic switch and a safety switch and a lock switch therein, and an additional electric circuit adapted to energize said magnetic switch having a momentary switch andalock switch therein.

Signed at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, this 3rd day set April, 1920.

HARRY F. HOWELL. 

